All the gods began by cultivating the Iron Shirt technique.

Whoosh~

A large crowd gathered, and the martial arts practitioners outside the arena were all speculating about who would be the first to step onto the stage.

As the noise grew louder, a young man dressed in a brown short-sleeved outfit stepped onto the platform, near the innermost edge. Upon seeing someone go up, the crowd immediately began speculating about his identity and strength.

The young man looked around the arena, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "I am Liang Zifeng from the Divine Fist Sect of Yicheng County. I wonder which hero would be willing to come up and test his skills against me?"

His voice was loud and clear, and everyone in the martial arts world around the stage could hear it clearly. Yang Pan's gaze fell on the young man's fists, and he could see many thick, grayish-white calluses on his knuckles, which clearly indicated that he had practiced hard fist techniques, but he didn't know how strong he was.

He hadn't seen much of the Divine Fist Sect in the Beggars' Sect records these past few days, but he didn't know much about it. However, some people he knew in the martial arts world were discussing it.

"So you are a disciple of Senior Chen Jianshan, the Divine Fist Master. When he was young, Senior Chen was also known as the Divine Fist Master who shook the eight directions in the Jiangnan area. I never expected to meet his esteemed disciple here."

"A divine fist that shakes all directions? I've never heard of that before?"

"Of course you haven't heard of it; that's what Senior Chen called himself."

......

Listening to the discussions around him, Yang Pan couldn't help but twitch his lips a few times.

Wow, it's true that when you're traveling, you have to give yourself your own identity.

"Divine Fist Shakes All Directions" is indeed a resounding title, but it's unknown whether Senior Chen possesses the strength to match it.

People in the martial arts world were buzzing with discussion. Liang Zifeng paced back and forth on the stage, waiting, feeling somewhat nervous.

The Divine Fist Sect sounds impressive, but it's actually just a small sect in Yicheng County. Furthermore, Master Chen Jianshan has long since retired from the martial world, and the sect's reputation is barely being suppressed even by the local thugs. He's participating in this martial arts tournament hoping to make a name for himself through this opportunity.

I don't seek to make a name for myself, I just want to make an appearance at this conference, so that I don't lose too badly and have something to brag about when I get back.

The wait wasn't long; soon another young man with a knife stepped out from the crowd. This young man was also dressed in short, tight-fitting clothes, and had a rather rugged look with a beard.

"Jin Lei from the Rock Blade Martial Arts School, please enlighten me." The burly young man clasped his hands in greeting to Liang Zifeng.

Yang Pan knew a little about the Rock Blade Martial Arts School. It wasn't a particularly powerful organization, but it was located in Xiangyang City, and Yang Pan had passed by it several times while wandering around the city. He had heard that the school's master was a third-rate martial artist, skilled in a mountain-splitting blade technique.

"Brother Liang, I am skilled in swordsmanship. If you don't bring a weapon, you might be at a disadvantage."

Jin Lei twirled his longsword and gave a reminder. He wasn't really being kind; he was just worried that if he won, people would say he won unfairly by taking advantage of his weapon. So he wanted to make a statement first.

"Thank you, but I am skilled in fist techniques and not in swordsmanship."

As Liang Zifeng spoke, he was also somewhat uneasy. In the martial arts world, unless one is a master, having or not having a weapon does affect one's strength. However, he had already stepped onto the stage, and there was no way he could just step down now.

"Alright! In that case, I won't hold back. Take this!" After confirming that his opponent was not using a weapon, Jin Lei shouted and took the lead in attacking Liang Zifeng with his knife, preparing to take the initiative and catch him off guard.

The Mountain-Splitting Saber Technique is powerful and heavy. Jin Lei's saber strike, though seemingly simple, carries the momentum of splitting Mount Hua. The long saber, accompanied by the force of his body's forward charge, cuts through the air, just like a tiger opening its claws and fiercely striking at Liang Zifeng.

Whoosh!

The blade whistled through the air, and Liang Zifeng's expression changed drastically. He clearly hadn't expected Jin Lei to act so decisively.

He quickly shifted his feet, his body brushing past the blade to dodge, and then hurriedly retreated a few steps to create distance between himself and his opponent.

The exchange was incredibly fast, prompting a few martial arts practitioners watching from below the stage to discuss it excitedly, but most of them simply watched with indifference.

Seeing Liang Zifeng dodge his attack, Jin Lei wasn't surprised. That attack was just a test; the real fight was about to begin.

With a flick of his wrist, Jin Lei twisted his body and took a step, the thin internal energy in his dantian flowing through a newly opened meridian in his arm.

Swish!

The blade was invisible, but its cold light, carrying a chilling aura, enveloped Liang Zifeng once more.

In martial arts combat, the goal is to kill with a single blow. Jin Lei clearly also wanted a quick victory, so he went all out from the start.

Tatata!

Seeing the opponent's all-out attack, Liang Zifeng felt as if the opponent's blade light was like a mountain pressing down, making it impossible for him to find an opportunity to strike. Therefore, he could only retreat again and again, and in the blink of an eye, he was forced to the edge of the dueling platform.

"Damn it!" Liang Zifeng felt something was wrong under his feet. He hardened his heart and stared intently at the blade light that the other party was throwing at him, trying to find a flaw.

Seeing that Liang Zifeng was no longer retreating, Jin Lei was overjoyed. He only needed to make one more move, and his opponent would inevitably be defeated regardless of whether he retreated or not!

With a flick of his wrist, the longsword that was originally slashing horizontally became a downward slash. He was confident that this strike would wound but not kill.

Just as he changed his move, his chest opening paused for a moment, and Liang Zifeng finally saw the flaw. In his ecstasy, he raised his right fist to his waist and suddenly thrust it out.

This is the Soaring Sky Fist style from the Divine Fist School, and it is also the move that Liang Zifeng has mastered the most. All his internal energy is gathered between his fist and fingers, and in an instant, it is like a long spear piercing through the fog that covers the sky, bringing back a clear and bright world.

Bang! The fist, as hard as wood and stone, pierced through the blade and slammed into Jin Lei's wide-open chest!

"what!"

With a scream, Jin Lei's body flew backward and crashed to the ground. He felt a sharp pain in his chest as he hit the ground. The shock to his internal organs left him with no strength to fight anymore.

"Brother Jin, you flatter me!" Liang Zifeng said, suppressing his joy as he clasped his hands in greeting as he watched Jin Lei fall to the ground and try to get up several times only to fall again.

Wow!

"Jin Lei actually lost. I thought he would win based on his swordsmanship."

"Yes, but the fist techniques of the Divine Fist Sect are quite interesting."

The crowd of martial artists below the stage buzzed with discussion, while Yang Pan mentally analyzed the battle. Liang Zifeng had pulled off a stunning comeback, but that's how battles are; the slightest carelessness or slip-up can give the enemy an opening.

"However, their strength is almost the same as Ding Feng's back then."

Yang Pan judged the two men's strength through their exchange, which made him eager to try his luck. As long as the strength of the person who went on stage was not too far from his own, he could prove his own level of strength in a battle with them.

Jin Lei was defeated, but Liang Zifeng still didn't leave, clearly intending to continue the fight for a few more rounds. Amidst the commotion of the crowd, another lean young man stepped forward.

The lean young man moved with light steps, and Yang Pan felt that he might have practiced leg skills. In particular, during his fight with Liang Zifeng, the young man's body moved up and down, jumping and leaping with a sense of order, making it seem as if he was playing Liang Zifeng like a monkey.

If Jin Lei had previously relied on the sharpness and power of his swordsmanship to relentlessly press forward, then this young man was now relying on his agility to wage a war of attrition.

Liang Zifeng had almost exhausted his internal energy in the previous battle, so how could he withstand the young man's exhaustion? After three or four rounds of punches and kicks, Liang Zifeng was kicked off the fighting platform by his opponent.

Flowers bloom and fade, victory and defeat cycle endlessly.

After defeating Liang Zifeng, the lean young man was knocked down by another person in the second round, and then three more people went up. Yang Pan watched from below the stage and felt that the strength of the people who went up was not much different, but there was indeed a trend of them getting stronger and stronger.

Perhaps at this moment, these few martial arts matches were nothing more than chickens fighting each other in the eyes of Guo Jing and Huang Rong on the stage, and even some second-rate martial artists.

But in Yang Pan's eyes, it could really serve as a whetstone for him. He was afraid that if he didn't go up and have a go at it soon, some real experts would have to come up later.

With that thought in mind, Yang Pan moved his feet toward the dueling platform, but someone was faster than him.

Whoops!

Suddenly, a figure leaped up from the crowd, his robes fluttering as he traversed three zhang (approximately 10 meters) and landed steadily on the dueling platform.

Yang Pan's pupils contracted as he looked at the figure on the stage. This was the first person in the competition to use light-footed skills to jump up there. Compared to him, the previous contestants were really low-key, all of them walking up the steps.

"I am He Sen of the Eagle Claw Sect. Please enlighten me." The young man said, clasping his hands in a fist salute to the winner of the previous match after landing.

"Eagle Claw Sect?" Yang Pan heard the young man introduce himself and felt that the sect he mentioned was quite familiar. After a moment of recollection, he remembered that he had seen the introduction of this sect in the Beggars' Sect's intelligence.

Eagle Claw Sect is a major sect located in Quanzhou on Fujian Road. The sect leader is said to be a first-rate master, whose Eagle Claw Kung Fu is so superb that he has truly earned the title of "Flying Eagle" in the martial arts world.

However, Quanzhou is a long way from Xiangyang, even farther than Jiaxing. It's impossible that the other party arrived in Xiangyang in just a few days. They must be among the earliest group of martial arts heroes to come to Xiangyang to help.

Just as Yang Pan was recalling the information about the Eagle Claw Sect, the two on the dueling platform had already begun their fierce battle.

Tear!

He Sen bent three fingers like hooks and stuck them to his opponent's sleeve. He pulled his arm back, and his three fingers tore through his opponent's clothes like sharp swords, leaving several bloody finger marks on his arm.

"What ruthless claw technique!"

His opponent was a young man who also practiced palm techniques. At this moment, his arm was slashed by He Sen, but he couldn't care less about the pain because his right arm was still in He Sen's hands.

He swung his left palm out, his broad hand like a stone slab, creating a whooshing wind that struck He Sen's face with a powerful and fierce strike.

However, He Sen seemed to have anticipated this move. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled the young man's arm and, taking advantage of the moment when the young man felt pain, He Sen used three fingers of one hand to precisely hook around the young man's left shoulder, effectively blocking the young man's ability to move.

At this point, the young man's hands were being held, and he had completely lost the ability to resist.

"I surrender."

A sharp pain shot through his arms and shoulders. The young man managed to squeeze out three words from his throat before collapsing as if all his strength had been drained.

Seeing the young man admit defeat, He Sen released him, stepped back to create distance, and then clasped his hands in a salute to the crowd.